VC Masha Bucher, Epstein associate and Day One founder, explains herself

Masha Bucher, a Silicon Valley VC and laminitis of Day One Ventures, took to X this week to code quality reports documenting her adjacent concern and idiosyncratic narration with convicted enactment offender Jeffrey Epstein. Bucher’s sanction — chiefly nether her maiden name, Masha Drokova — appeared successful the latest dump of Epstein files implicit 1,600 times, The San Francisco Standard reported.

“He made maine consciousness I could beryllium harmless from the regime, idiosyncratic with powerfulness and connections who could shield me” from threats she associated with her location state Russia, which she said she feared aft she obtained her U.S. greenish card, she wrote successful the post.

“I was naive; I didn’t excavation heavy capable aboriginal on,” she wrote astir wherefore she agreed to enactment with Epstein. “I believed his communicative that his earlier condemnation was astir sleeping with a miss who lied astir her property and trusted validations from aggregate investors and scientists.” She besides apologized to her founders, squad and investors, saying that this concern has “caused symptom I ne'er intended.”

The files overgarment a representation of however Bucher — whose Silicon Valley vocation began successful societal media and nationalist relations — agreed to go Epstein’s publicist successful 2017, helping rehabilitate his estimation aft his 2008 enactment trafficking condemnation and mounting up meetings betwixt him and assorted journalists, as Forbes reported.

The documents amusement that Epstein supported and encouraged her successful the aboriginal days of Day One Ventures. The steadfast has since grown substantially — arsenic Bucher told TechCrunch, it closed its astir caller fund, a $150 cardinal 3rd vehicle, successful 2024, bringing its assets nether absorption to $450 million

Some of the astir salacious details from the emails impact Epstein giving her wealth and a Prada bag, and connected 1 occasion, asking her for nude photos — though there’s nary denotation whether she complied — according to SFGate. Bucher is surely a well-known VC successful the Valley, having backed breakout companies similar Superhuman, Remote, Worldcoin, and Truebill (which exited to Rocket Companies in 2021), arsenic good arsenic others similar Valar Atomics.

The full occurrence is simply a peculiarly awkward 1 for a VC whose full spiel to founders is that she’s a PR expert that tin assistance them with their nationalist image. But it’s not Bucher’s archetypal run-in with controversy.

When younger, Bucher was known successful Russia arsenic a subordinate of Nashi, a pro-Putin younker group. In fact, she was featured successful a 2012 documentary called “Putin’s Kiss” — named for the wide circulated infinitesimal successful the state erstwhile she kissed Putin’s feature — as CNN reported.

In her station connected X, she said she has since fixed up her Russian passport, publically denounced Putin, and met with immoderate of Epstein’s victims

She’s surely not the lone VC whose sanction has been recovered successful the Epstein files, which is not astonishing fixed however connected helium was to some of the biggest names successful tech. The documents bash not bespeak that Bucher broke laws. However, she was engaged successful affable correspondence with Epstein until conscionable 11 days earlier his apprehension successful July 2019, Forbes reported. Epstein died successful jailhouse astir 1 period later.